Coast guard positions to leave Inuvik for Iqaluit

The federal government is moving five Canadian Coast Guard workers from Inuvik, N.W.T., to Iqaluit.

The move is part of the government’s plan to centralize the coast guard’s radio communications.

No staff will be laid off, just reassigned.

Starting in 2013, one office in Iqaluit will oversee the tracking of ships and safety and weather information across the North.

The new office will handle emergency calls from across the North and dispatch rescuers from the nearest base..

So far, the government has declined to comment on the move. Communications manager Kevin Hill of Fisheries and Oceans Canada said in an email to the CBC that emergency services will not be affected.

He said the move will make the coast guard more efficient as ships will be monitored by only one authority.

The new Iqaluit office will handle emergency calls from across the North and dispatch rescuers from the nearest base.

In the territories, the Canadian Coast Guard will maintain its base in Hay River, N.W.T., as well as all existing search and rescue units.